Studio: international art (31.1904)

Reviews

workers in the style of the great master. The
illustrations now given chiefly consist of some fine
collotype reproductions of screens and fans, and
half-a-dozen excellent chromo-xylographs. We cor-
dially recommend the work to the attention of all
lovers of Japanese art.

The Pilgrim's Progress. By John Bunyan.
With twenty-five drawings on wood by George
Cruikshank. (Oxford: Henry Frowde.) 2i5.net.
—It is remarkable that such treasures as the draw-
ings in this beautiful edition of Bunyan's inimitable
allegory should have remained so long hidden in a
private collection, and all admirers of the work of
George Cruikshank owe a debt of gratitude to their
owner, Mr. Edwin Truman, for allowing them to
be reproduced in an easily accessible form. Their
appearance is peculiarly appropriate at the present
moment, in view of the renewed interest in wood
engraving and the revival of the old-fashioned
mode of book illustration that preceded the intro-
duction of process blocks. They enable critics to
compare the drawings of a master designer of the
past with those of such modern exponents of xylo-
graphy as Lawrence Housman and his contem-
poraries. These drawings, some ot which were
already cut on wood before their author's death,
whilst the rest have been executed by skilled
craftsmen of the present day, are, moreover, to a
certain extent, revelations of a little-known side of
Cruikshank's character, for his fame rests chiefly on
his remarkable caricatures and excellent illustra-
tions of fairy tales. He was, it is true, an ardent
advocate for social reform, but he showed
no marked religious enthusiasm, yet certain
of his interpretations of incidents in the
"Pilgrim's Progress" reflect the very spirit of the
preacher. The Cruel Death oj Faithful, Apollyon
falls upon Christian, and Christian loses his
Burden at the Cross have all the grim simplicity
of Bunyan's own work. The text of the book, which
has an interesting biographical Introduction from
the pen or the late Canon Venables, is that of the
second edition of the first part and the first edition
of the second part; and the editor explains that the
only alterations made are the corrections of obvious
errors of orthography and punctuation which, he
says, it would have been pedantic to retain.

A History of Painting in Italy. By J. A. Crowe
and G. B. Cavalxaselle. (London: John Murray.)
Two vols. 2i5. net each.—The publishers of this
new edition of a work which will, no doubt, long
remain one of the best art histories in circulation,
have laid all students of the period it embraces
under a deep debt of gratitude. Ever since the
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first issue of the original book in 1864 public
appreciation of its value has been on the increase,
and it has been reprinted again and again; but as
was inevitable, in view of the importance of recent
discoveries, it has lately fallen to a great extent out
of date. As trustworthy as ever, so far as the
critical judgment pronounced on individual masters
is concerned, the decisions of its authors with
regard to certain attributions, dates, etc., would,
as a matter of course, be reconsidered by them
were they living at present. Recognising to the
full the permanent value of every word of the text,
the present editors have left it untouched, but they
have supplemented it with an excellent series of
notes, bringing the book into line with the results
of the most recent research. So far two volumes
only of the six promised have appeared, one dealing
with Early Christian art as a whole, the other with
that art as practised by Giotto and his followers.
The new notes in these two volumes have all been
written by Protessor Langton Douglas, whose " Fra
Angelico " and "History of Siena" have already
placed him in the front rank amongst the authors
of the day ; but in his arduous task he has had the
co-operation of the learned librarian of the House
of Lords, Mr. Arthur Strong, whose translation of
Dr. Kunsteller's great monograph on Mantegra
was so well appreciated. The result of the joint
labours of these two experts is in every respect
thoroughly satisfactory. Each volume is complete
in itself, with two indices—one of places, the other
of people mentioned in the text—a feature of no
little value to the student who is pressed for time.
To these sterling qualities as books of reference
is added the great attraction of a number of very
beautiful reproductions of the chief works of the
various masters discussed, including a truly repre-
sentative series of early mosaics and no less than
twenty frescoes by Giotto, with examples of those
of his chief contemporaries.

How to Identify Old China. By Mrs. Willoughby
Hodgson. (London : Bell & Sons.) 55. net.—
Although there are already in circulation many
costly and richly illustrated volumes on china, this
little book will be heartily welcomed by those
whose enthusiasm is greater than their power of
gratifying it by the acquisition of more ambitious
works. The authoress of " How to Identify Old
China" has a very thorough grip of her subject,
and has been at great pains to supply just the
information most needed by the amateur collector.
She gives several pages of facsimile reproductions
of distinctive marks, a great number of excellent
illustrations of characteristic examples of British